


Consequences of our Actions

by Rose_Kard



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Joey Drew Studios, Joey Drew is "Bendy" | Ink Bendy, Joey needs some help, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:48:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24345253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_Kard/pseuds/Rose_Kard
Summary: Joey Drew. The owner of the famous character Bendy. What is his story? Where does it lead? Will the consequences of his actions lead to a happy ending, or destruction?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1: The beginning of the story

Fear. The only thing he felt in that moment. He was so small, and the man looming above him was so tall. He was going to hurt him. He had to run, but where to? There seemed to be nowhere safe anymore. Looking at the halls of his home were like looking a snake in the eyes and he hated every second of it. A knife was held by the man, a weapon that would forever haunt him. 

The small boy, formerly known by the name Josiah Drew, now the owner of one of the most successful animation studios; Joey Drew Studios. His hair was short and black making his bright blue eyes stand out in the dark. The man, who Joey knew to be his father, loomed overhead. 

Suddenly, the scene changed. He was no longer looking at the halls of his childhood home, but was now leaning against the wall of the living room. The room was spinning, but even in the ensuing nausea he was able to see the body lying on the floor. He pulled himself off of the ground as quickly as he was able to and ran to the body. With as much force as he could muster her pushed his father, causing the man to fall and render himself unconscious. He looked down at the body, tears welling in his eyes as he screamed.

“Mother!” Joey lurched awake in his bed, sweat pouring from his brow and tears falling from his eyes. His hands gripped the cream collared sheets of his bed as he attempted to stabilize his breathing. 

After around ten minutes he pulled himself together with one big, shaky breath. He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his glasses. The square brown frames a gentle contrast to his, now long, black hair.

When he had nightmares such as this he knew that he would be unable to return to his slumber, at least peacefully. Carefully he walked to the desk in the corner of his room. It wasn’t a very good desk, but it served its purpose. Laying on the desk was one reel of film, it was labeled ‘Little Devil Darlin’. He had finished it the night before, and was excited to bring it to the local theater.

The owner of the theater was a kind older man. He was not rich but was quite well off. After working as a newspaper boy and bringing the paper to him daily, Joey had forged a sort of friendship with the man. He had been offered to play his film reel at the theater, as a payment for the paper for so many years. Joey would be ever thankful to this man.    
  


Within the week his animation was being played at the theater. With his limited money he bought a ticket to see his little devil darling up on the big screen. At the end of the short movie, he was relieved to see the audience leaving the theater with smiles on their faces. Perhaps he had a chance in this afterall. 

Within another few months Joey had finished his next short titled ‘The Dancing Demon’. With this cartoon coming out right before the great depression hit, he was very grateful for the perfect timing and immense popularity of the theater. With people flocking to theaters to get away from the struggles of real life he was receiving more money than he had expected from this short. 

Within around a month he had enough money comfortably saved up to buy himself a small building. Luckily the prices of buildings were quite low due to the low demand to buy housing, which left him with a bit more money than he had planned. So, he used that extra money to buy himself a sturdier desk. One that he wouldn’t have to worry about wobbling, or moving if he leaned on it. 

The next short he released was called ‘Hell's Kitchen’. This short was far longer than his previous ones, but it was a vast improvement from the previous animations. As Joey went to release this new short he found himself swarmed with people wanting to know more about the future of Bendy. Many questions were thrown at him, as he did his best to answer them as quickly as he could. He received a few offers from other theaters wanting to show the new film as well, something that was quite exciting for him. One question stood out though.

“Mr. Drew, will you just be publishing under the name Drew, or will this character be the start of a new animation company similar to Walt Disney and his character Mickey Mouse?” Joey had to think over the question, as he had not thought that far into the future of this simple cartoon. “I would most certainly like to use this as the start to a new animation company. It would be a great joy and pleasure if this were to become popular enough to be classed up with Disney and his Mickey Mouse.”

Once again this reporter asked him a question that he hadn’t thought ahead very far ‘what would you name this studio?’ Such a simple question that had so many complex aspects to it. “I think that I would call it ‘Joey Drew Studios’ since it would be my studio.” 

After a while he managed to get himself out of the growing crowd and to a shop where he could get copies of his film reel made. Throughout the day one thought stayed in his mind ‘Joey Drew Studios’. It had a ring to it. Perhaps this could be something bigger than he had first imagined.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

The fall hit, and it hit hard. The economy crashed leaving many people without jobs. Josiah’s studio had happened to be in a better part of town, leaving him able to avoid the growing number of hoovervilles on the outskirts of New York City. He had never been more grateful for the timing of his studio. As Joey began to grow his studio he realised that he could use some help. Creating animations, along with their sound, the paperwork and the accounting was beginning to become overwhelming. More and more of his nights became sleepless as he worked to complete his work. 

Some may call it luck, others may call it a miracle, but Joey couldn’t care what it was called when help came knocking at his door. Literally. 

The small knock on his door snapped him out of his work. When he opened the door he saw a man around 5’8. He had messy blond hair and green eyes. “Hello, my name is Harrison Stein. I’m an artist and I was seeking a job at your studio.” The sentence had been clearly rehearsed. Joey thought to turn the man away, but another wave of exhaustion hit him, reminding him of his lack of rest. 

“Oh, please do come in! I was just considering putting out an ad in the ‘Daily Planet’. Could you tell me more about yourself?” The blond was slightly surprised by not being turned away, as many other people had turned him down in the previous weeks. 

“Well, I am an artist. I’ve been drawing since I was a child. I’ve been trying to get into the animation business but there aren’t too many companies needing employees right now. I moved to New York about a year ago for a job under Max Fletcher, and since I was a newer hire I was one of the first to go thanks to the depression.” 

Josiah saw potential in the man, and was reminded of himself and his own passion for art and animation. He led the blonde to his desk and retrieved a sheet of paper and the pen on his desk. “Would you draw Bendy for me? I would like to see what you can do.” Harrison nodded and took the items handed to him. In a few short minutes Bendy had been drawn on the paper perfectly. Joey’s thoughts about the man had been correct, he had potential. 

“Well, I cannot deny that you have talent! Along with the fact that I need some assistance. Could I have you begin working here on Monday?” Harrison’s eyes widened and a smile stretched across his face. “That would be wonderful! Oh, and please, call me Henry. Harrison is quite a bit too formal for me.” Joey could not help but smile as he held his hand out for Henry to shake. 

“I look forward to working with you Henry! I think we will make a good team!” Henry shook his hand and their partnership began. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> This chapter is a bit shorter but I plan to make the next one a little longer.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

Henry had been working at the studio for a few months when a snow storm took over New York. Without question Joey had his new coworker stay at the studio due to the severity of the storm. The two men had to move the studio’s firewood inside the building since they were having issues opening the studio door. The two began to take shifts, as Joey only had one bed and was unwilling to let Henry sleep on the floor. He had moved out of the building he was renting since he rarely left the studio anyways. 

Joey would typically work the night and sleep in the mornings while Henry worked in the mornings and slept at night. After around a week the storm began to die down, leaving a few feet worth of snow. The two managed to get the studio door open after a while and promptly found a young man lying unconscious in the snow. The two men moved as fast as they could through the snow, and breathed sighs of relief to find the young man unconscious. 

The two brought him inside and placed him by the fire. After a few hours the young man began to stir. His hair was no longer soaked leaving him with curly blonde hair. Slowly his eyes began to open and he looked at the two men with confusion.

“I think I musta bumped my head. I don’ have a clue of who you are or where I am. This is probably some weird dream.” he assured himself in a thick bostonian accent. “My name is Joey Drew, and this is my business partner Henry Stein. We found you outside in the snow. Why were you out there kid?” The kid's brown eyes darted around as he tried to piece things together. After a moment he seemed to figure it out. “I was gonna try to find myself a new job somewhere. My parents died a bit back, and I’ve been taking care of my siblings for a while now. Uncle Sammy has been really good to us but I know he lost his job a bit back. Apparently a music writer and directa wasn’t needed anymore.”

Before the kid could continue Henry pulled Joey aside “Joey, don’t even think about it! We have this perfectly under control ourselves. Do we really need to hire a literal kid to help us? Besides, what would he even do?” Henry could see Joey wanted to hire the kid from a mile away. “But, the kid is taking care of his siblings. Taking care of yourself is hard enough as a kid! I’m hiring him as a janitor! Later on he can learn some engineering to make repairs around here! You could call it an investment!”

Henry went to stop Joey but was slightly too slow. “So what is your name my boy?” “My name is Wally! Wally Franks!” the green eyed man watched in shock as Joey proceeded to hire the young boy. Once the snow had melted down, to the point where Joey and Henry didn’t need to worry, they offered to walk him home. When they offered they planned to walk him home no matter his answer. 

They had almost reached Wally’s place when they saw a man with short raven hair pacing the sidewalk. The two men couldn’t be sure but they thought they heard Wally mumble a curse or two before the raven haired man turned towards them. “Wallace John Franks! Where have you been? Your siblings and I have been worried sick!” The man ran towards the boy and pulled him into a hug “Your siblings were ready to storm all of New York City to find you! What if you had gotten hurt?” He then looked and saw Henry and Joey “And what did I say about talking to random strangers?”

“Uncle Sammy, stop. This is my new employer Joey Drew and his head of animation Henry Stein.” The man, Sammy, held out his hand to the two men in front of him. “Thank you for bringing him back. His siblings were ready to start a war to find him. My name is Samuel Lawrence.”

“Joey Drew. Wally had mentioned that you are a musician?” Sammy froze in shock for a moment, clearly not expecting the question that was asked. “Yes I am. My professions are string instruments and piano, though I know how to play woodwind and brass.” 

A smile stretched across Joey’s face and Henry glared at him with a look that screamed ‘Don’t you dare’. “My company, my choices.” he whispered into Henry’s ear. “How would you like to work at my studio? We need someone to handle the music, and while I am capable I do not have the proper knowledge of different instruments. I know some violin and piano, but that's all.”

Samuel nearly fell over in surprise. He had been unable to find himself a job after being laid off, and now some stranger is offering him a job? “Yes, yes! That would be wonderful! Thank you Mr. Drew!” Joey laughed, more like chuckled “Of course! And please, Mr. Drew is far too formal. Call me Joey.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> As promised this chapter is longer than the last one as I didn't want chapter 2 to have too many introductions. I felt as though Sammy and Wally had to be introduced relatively close together.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

Things had been running relatively smoothly since Joey hired Wally and Sammy. The four people at the studio worked well together, and for that Joey was glad. A few months had passed and the animations were starting to turn out faster than before. Having Sammy focusing on the music gave Henry and Josiah far more time to work on the animation. Wally often ran errands for the three, such as getting more ink or paper when the animators ran out. 

After much work, Joey ran to get the animations printed to a film reel. By the time he had returned Henry, Sammy, and Wally had all left for the night. He set up the project and worked to get it set up along with his violin, so he could hear what the cartoon should sound like. 

The cartoon had only been running for a few seconds when the projector began to smoke. Joey quickly unplugged the projector and removed the film reel, hoping it had not been damaged. Luckily it had not sustained any, and so he went to figure out what had gone wrong with the projector. He opened the projector and reached inside.

He quickly figured out the source of the problem when he felt pain spread across his palm. His palm had begun to bleed from a cut stretching across his left palm. Josiah quickly ran into his office to grab a towel. Once he managed to get the bleeding to subside he wrapped it in a long white bandage.

Once his injury had been tended to he returned to the projector. Using his right hand he moved the wayward piece of machinery back where it belonged. He let out a sigh of relief when the projector worked with a different film reel. Carefully the new film reel was put into the projector and Joey watched as his and Henry’s hard work was played out in front of him. 

Knowing that the audio recording was happening the next day he went to bed, looking forward to the cartoon being finished and its nearby release date.

Of course the next morning Henry had immediately noticed the white bandages wrapped around his palm. “Joey! What happened to your hand?!” Joey smiled and shook his head “Just a bit of a cut, nothing to worry about! I fixed it all up.” 

The raven haired man had failed to notice the blood seeping to the outside of the bandage, which the blond had. Henry sighed and motioned for Joey to sit in his chair. He pulled out the roll of bandages and unrolled Joey’s older wrap. In a few minutes he had a firm and well wrapped bandage around his hand. 

“Henry, how do you know how to use a wrap so well?” Henry stifled a laugh at Joey’s look of pure wonder “My father was a doctor, so I learned from him. I disappointed him a bit by becoming an animator instead of a doctor but he still supported me.” 

The two talked for a while before Joey decided to show Henry the film. Henry quickly noticed the small amount of dried blood next to the projector. “Joey, did you cut your hand on the projector?” A pause “Maybe?” Henry sighed “I know a guy who is pretty good with those things. I’ll see if he wants to work for you. He will keep that blasted thing working.” 

A few days later Henry brought with him Mr. Norman Polk. Before Henry let Joey meet him he quickly pulled Joey aside “I know he’s black, but if you are rude to him I swear to G-” Joey quickly cut him off “I’m not racist Henry. As long as he can do his job I could care less what he looks like. Let me meet him already!” 

Harrison was relieved that the two got along. While Norman was a relatively quiet man, they had no issues. Within the next week Sammy and Wally had both warmed up to Norman. The next week had Sammy and Wally dragging him home for dinner, since Wally’s siblings were dying to meet the projectionist. 

This studio was becoming a wonderful thing. Joey was gaining a family, and it was beautiful.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I hope you enjoyed!


	5. Chapter 5

Not long after Joey had hired Norman, Henry came up with a new character. A friendly wolf, named Boris. Joey and Henry had both agreed that a second character would do the show good. There was only so far one character on his own could do. 

Sheep songs with Boris the wolf was soon out for the audiences. The people loved watching him. He was like Bendy’s big brother and people started flooding the theaters more than ever before. 

Over the next couple years Henry, Norman, Sammy, Wally, and Joey began to spend time together outside the studio. Getting together for dinner or going to the local bar, even though Wally was not old enough to drink (Sammy had quite the time teasing him about it). Their little family became very tight and it seemed to get better daily. 

It wasn’t much longer later that Henry introduced Joey to his girlfriend, Linda Dooman. She was a young assyrian lady who’s parents had immigrated to the United States in 1909. She and Henry had nearly grown up together. 

“It's a pleasure to meet you Miss. Dooman! My name is Josiah.” He held his hand out to her and she took it and shook it with a smile. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you! Henry talks about you almost non-stop! I’m glad he finally has a friend other than his sketchbook.” She grinned as she finished her sentence and Henry gasped “I can hear you, ya know!” 

Both Joey and Linda laughed. Henry huffed and walked back to his desk to keep working on the newest animation. The two ended up talking about Henry’s childhood with Linda and all of the funny stories that she had to share. Though, without surprise, Linda asked about his childhood. Joey hadn’t told anyone, even Harrison, about his past. 

He tried to think of a way around it before remembering one of the best moments of his childhood. “Well, there isn’t too much to tell.” He lied “I think my favorite memory is the time my mother took me up to the mountains for a weekend while my father was working. I had been pretty sick when I was younger so my mom had been very excited to take me.”

Linda smiled “She sounds like a wonderful lady!” Joey nodded “She was. I’m willing to bet that she was one of the best.” Linda’s smile dropped hearing the past tense “Oh, did she pass away?” A pause “Yeah, it was an interesting time. I moved out here not long later, since I couldn’t stay with my father. Besides, it gave me the opportunity to follow my dreams, and that is what she had always wanted.”

The two talked until Henry finally decided that he had to get Linda back home before it got too dark. So, the three said their goodbyes and Josiah prepared himself for a sleepless night. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> A brief warning for the next chapter. It will contain some very dark themes (Abuse, Murder, etc.) so be prepared. That will be the chapter to dive into Josiah's backstory, so be warned.


	6. Chapter 6

It was nearing sunrise, and Josiah was in a restless sleep. Henry had returned to the studio after realizing he had forgotten his wallet, since it was the weekend he couldn’t wait till monday to retrieve it. Since he had a spare key to the building he unlocked it and went inside, only to hear some faint rustling. Thinking it was an intruder he went searching.

When he turned the corner to Josiah’s room he slowly cracked open the door, in hopes of not disturbing the man but making sure of his safety. Much to his surprise the sound was coming from the raven haired man in a fitful rest. 

With caution Harrison crept into the room and knelt next to the bed. Slowly he reached out and put his hand on Joey’s shoulder. Immediately he sprung up, looked at Henry with a panicked look on his face before bolting to the other side of the room. Joey was hyperventilating, mumbling words that couldn’t be understood by the blonde. 

Slowly Henry made his way over to Joey, hoping to not scare him more than he already was. Once he got there, he began talking softly in hopes of helping him calm down. After a few minutes Henry heard Joey whisper a quiet “Henry?” he had stopped talking for a moment before replying “Yeah, it's me. You were having a nightmare.”

Josiah nodded his head for a moment before looking up at him “Why are you here?” Henry wasn’t surprised that he asked so quickly “I forgot my wallet. I thought someone had broken in and I found you instead.” Joey hummed an understanding

The two sat quietly for a minute or two before Henry decided to talk “Might I ask what the nightmare was? It may help you to talk about it.” Josiah sighed “There are,” a momentary pause “some things I haven't told you about. I don’t know what you heard me tell Linda, but I didn’t tell her the truth.”

Henry noticed the hesitation in his voice “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Joey nodded “I know, but I want you to know. You are my best friend and you deserve to know after walking in on a nightmare.” Josiah took a deep breath before starting.

“I told Linda that my mother had passed away, which is true. I also said I couldn’t stay with my father, that would be because he is in prison. He killed her, in front of me.” Henry was unable to contain his gasp “He’s been abusive all my life. He had money and my parents fell in love, of course it didn’t last. They had me and I was very sick when I was little.

I was constantly in bed and the medicine was expensive. There was near constant yelling. He was nearly always drunk and would try to hurt my mother and I. Eventually I was healthy again but I think he hated myself and my mother for defending me. 

Then, one day, he was extremely drunk and angry. He got his hands on a knife. I tried to fight him off but he slammed me against the wall, broke my arm, and kicked me to the ground hard enough that I could barely walk. He stabbed her, he stabbed her 4 times before I grabbed a broken bottle and hit him in the head. It knocked him out but it was too late.” Tears were streaming down his face “I was 16.”

Henry was horrified by Joey’s past. A few tears slipped past his own eyes as he wrapped Joey into a hug. They stayed that way for a while, until eventually Henry convinced Joey to spend some time away from the studio. “Get lunch, walk around town. Afterwards you can stay at my place for a bit, at least until you feel better.” Joey went to decline the offer but Henry held up his hand “I’m not taking no for an answer.” 

After a few minutes were spent gathering his wallet and handing Joey his glasses, which had been knocked under the bed, Henry said his goodbye. Within the hour Josiah was ready to go and started the day by going to a diner.

Joey and Henry spent the weekend doing various things, such as teaching Joey how to cook. Henry often distracted him from his past by telling stories about growing up. Once the weekend was nearly up Henry had a request.

“Joey, I need your help with something. I want to propose to Linda and I have an idea, but I need some help for it.” A grin stretched out on Josiah’s face “Of course! What can I do?” 

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

Josiah and Harrision worked for a few weeks on the proposal for Linda. The two had had the idea to add a new character into the show for a while and so they used the design for the idea. The only thing missing was a voice. Neither of them could see her without a voice. So, they brought in Ms. Susie Cambell.

Henry had the idea to tell Linda that they wanted an outside opinion on the newest episode and so they had chosen to have her preview the animation. She had accepted without any suspicion and so the two kept up the act. 

On the night that the proposal would take place they sat her down in front of the screen with Norman working the projector. Henry and Linda sat down to watch with Joey, Norman, Sammy and Wally in the back.

The animation began to play. Bendy had been walking down the street when he walked into an angel with no wings, but a pair of horns on her head alongside a halo. The two characters were seen in different settings going on dates with the angel singing in the background, until eventually Bendy pulled a box out of the hammer space and walked in front of Alice, the angel. The box was not pointed at Alice though, but instead towards the audience and Alice pulled a sign from her hammerspace that said simply;

‘Linda, will you marry me?

-Henry’

When Linda looked over at Henry he was on one knee, holding a ring. She said yes without hesitation and the men in the back of the room cheered at their success. 

Sammy laughed as he watched Henry place the ring on Linda’s finger “Looks like the good ol’ animator is getting hitched before any of us. Surprising since you own a company and I’m a composer.” The men all looked at Sammy in confusion as he stated mockingly “Be a composer, they said. All the girls want to marry a composer, they said. It’ll be fun, they said”

Henry and Linda had both heard Sammy’s mockery and laughed alongside the others in the room at Sammy’s pouting. 

They were a family, and none of them would change that for the world.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! more chapters to come soon, I promise!


	8. Chapter 8

After Henry and Linda became engaged, Josiah decided to start expanding on the studio. He immediately thought of Sammy and his little room where he worked on music. The acoustics apparently weren’t very good, he had overheard him muttering to Norman as they attempted to match the music to the animation. So the first thing he did was have a lower layer built into the studio, and it was labeled the ‘Music Department’. 

He hadn’t told anyone what he was having built down under, so once it was finished he gathered his studio family by the entrance. Henry had brought Linda along, so she and Susie were chatting the entire easy down there, speculating on what the surprise might have been. The men had also been talking on the way down but all became quiet when they reached the door. 

“Sammy, I want you up at the front for this.” Joey said as he reached for the door handle. Sammy walked up next to him and the door knob was turned. “Samuel, I want to welcome you to your ‘Music Department’!” Sammy’s eyes widened and his jaw fell open at the sight in front of him. 

There was a wall leading to two seperate areas, on the wall was painted ‘Music Department’ surrounded by music notes. In the pathway to the right was a set of stairs leading to a projection room overhead a large room. The room held holders for many instruments, and on the edge of the room was a recording booth. 

Another path led down to a small set of offices, one labeled “Sammuel Lawrence, Music Director” another labeled “Harrison Stein, Animation Director” the final labeled “Joey Drew, Founder” Henry pulled Josiah aside rather quickly “Joey, did the studio have the money for this?” Joey merely chuckled “That's nothing for you to worry about my friend. The money is my job, you just keep up your wonderful work!”

Joey then walked over to Wally and pointed at a small door, a new janitorial closet. Wally smiled and ran over to it only to realise that it was locked. He turned around to see Joey holding a pair of keys above his head. The blond jumped to grab them but missed, causing Joey to chuckle a bit before handing them down to the boy. 

“I get keys!” Everyone smiled at his excitement over the keys as he ran over to Sammy “Uncle Sammy, I get my own set of keys!” Wally accidentally knocked over the older man and fell on top of him. 

Samuel immediately started yelling “Norman! Help me! Wally get off of me! Give me a hand, man!” Norman was almost doubled over laughing as he picked the blonde up. After setting him down, which was difficult with the boy giggling, he gave Samuel a hand. 

The future was really starting to look bright for the growing studio…

  
  



	9. Chapter 9

Henry and Linda had a beautiful wedding. Susie had volunteered to sing during the reception, and Sammy played backup on the violin. They had the wedding in a local church, and the reception was held in the music department, courtesy of Josiah. Norman and Wally had small lanterns around the department, giving the room a lovely glow. 

The newlyweds left that night, planning to take a week for their honeymoon on the beach. Once everything had been taken down and put away from the reception, the guests went home. Joey found himself wandering the studio for a while, trying to figure out what the next short should be. 

He had been alone for a few hours when he heard pounding on the door of the studio. Assuming that someone forgot something, he ran to open the door. When he did, he saw a young lady that he couldn’t recognize.

She had herself covered in layers of clothing, her hair covered by a black veil. Her eyes were a chestnut brown, and full of fear. She was holding something he couldn’t see close to her chest, it was also wrapped in cloth. He ushered her inside, and offered a cup of tea, to which she shook her head. Looking at her, he could tell that she was shivering. 

“Are you alright, ma’am?” She shook her head before she softly spoke “I apologize for my intrusion, but I am in danger.” Josiah gently placed a hand on her shoulder “Don’t worry, you are safe here. How can I help you?” After a moment she locked eyes with him, tears pricking at her eyes “I need you to take in my daughter.” The two stood for a moment in silence before she spoke up again.

“Please, my husband will kill her and I if she stays. The past six months have been terrible and I don’t want her hurt. I’m running from him, but I can’t keep her. I don’t want her to be in an orphanage, I know the cruelties of them. I beg of you, take care of her, or give her to someone that will!” Tears streamed down the lady’s face as she spoke in desperation. “I’ll take her in. You won't have to worry about her. I only ask you for three things in return.” She nodded “Anything” 

Josiah smiled “Tell me your name” “My name? My name is Anne.” A lovely name, he thought “Come to see her one day. She is still your daughter, and I would like her to meet the kind lady who saved her life.” Anne nodded “Finally, allow me to help you before you leave. You will be safe here and if anyone tries to find you, I’ll keep you in my office till they leave” 

Before she left Joey gave her food, a winter coat, and some money to help her along. Carefully she handed the baby, who had slept through the whole exchange, over to Joey. He held the baby as the lady left through the back door. 

Holding the child in his arms he walked to his old office, which he converted into a bedroom. Still in his clothes from the wedding he laid down on the bed. The little girl’s soft brown hair had some gentle waves that he ran his hand over as he fell asleep. He would have quite a bit to explain to his friends in the morning, but for now he would sleep.

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

Josiah woke up a handful of hours later to see the baby in his arms. Her eyes slowly opened and looked up at him before smiling. He smiled back at her before muttering a sleepy “Good morning, Starshine.” She muttered a little bit of gibberish before he sat up and placed her on his lap.

He reached over to his side table and grabbed his glasses so he could see her clearly. Her eyes were the same color as her mother’s. He gently ran his hand over her head before telling her “I promise, I’ll be better than our fathers. I will never hurt you.” For a moment longer he held the girl in his lap before a knock was heard on his door. Before he thought about what was happening he picked the girl up and walked to the door. Opening it he saw Sammy, Norman, and Wally.

All of their eyes widened together when they saw the child in his arms. “Joey, I really hope you have an explanation for the baby in your arms.” Sammy said in complete dismay. Joey looked at the baby once again before smiling and saying with a chuckle “It's quite a story.” he then realised that he was still in his clothes from the wedding “Wally, would you mind holding her so I can change?” Wally held out his hands and carefully picked up the child before rocking her in his arms, as he went to change his clothes.

A few minutes later Joey returned and ushered them in his room, allowing them to sit on his bed while he talked. He left out a few things, such as why he took in the child without much consideration. Much to his relief the group didn’t ask too many questions. As they were talking the child began to cry. Wally could see that Joey didn’t know what to do. “Mista Drew, when was the last time she ate?” A momentary pause “Before her mother arrived. I would say around 2am?” Wally groaned and slapped his face “Alright, I have some baby formula at home. Who has a car? It will take way too long to walk. The fact she hasn’t cried yet is surprising.” 

Norman silently raised his hand and so they all piled into his car. After around ten minutes they arrived. When Wally opened the door his siblings, all ranging in age from two to thirteen, came running up to him. “Heya!” he said with a smile “Mary, could you grab the leftover formula from when Robert was little and make up a bottle?” 

She nodded and walked off to the kitchen. Wally then ushered everyone inside. Sammy walked in first “I think I have some old baby clothes stashed in my closet, I’ll be back.” Wally sat down on the sofa and waved Norman and Josiah to sit with him.

Norman was quickly dragged off by the kids, and he played with them without hesitation. Joey looked to Wally before asking “I know you said your parents had passed away, may I ask what happened to them?” Wally nodded his head, a small smile on his face as he looked at the group playing in the distance. 

“Well, mah pops worked on one of those fishing boats. They were out and apparently got hit with a storm. Pops fell overboard and they couldn’t find him. Ma found out she was pregnant a few weeks later. Sammy moved in with us a few months afterwards. We had become friends and he needed somewhere to live. Ma had some complications, and passed away during childbirth. Robert survived though, and so Sammy has been helping us all since.”  
Just as Wally finished talking, Mary returned with the bottle. Josiah gently handed the baby to her when she held out her hands and showed him how to feed a baby. Sammy returned a minute later to stop and stare at Norman, who was now laying on the floor with three kids lying on top of him. 

“Norman,” Sammy started suppressing a snicker “are you doing alright there, buddy?” Norman smiled in response before muttering a soft spoken “I like kids.” Sammy could help but smile as he shrugged. Returning to Josiah, having finished learning how to feed the child. 

“Here we go. Wally didn’t keep too many of the clothes but I found a few little dresses for her in that box. They should fit her.” Josiah nodded thankfully. “Well,” Wally started “We should probably get heading over to the adoption agency. You can’t just keep the kiddo without paperwork!” 

The group got up and Wally pulled his three youngest siblings off of Norman before putting Mary back in charge. They quickly made their way back to the car and drove to the nearest agency. Josiah walked inside with the child, leaving his friends outside to wait.

When he finally returned he had a large manilla envelope in one of his hands. It looked like it had more papers than it could properly hold, but it served his purpose. Wally jumped up immediately “What did they say?” Sammy and Norman looked at him with almost excited grins “I just have to fill out this paperwork and bring it back. They said it should be no issue. They will send someone to inspect our living situation within the next week or two.” Josiah was suddenly thankful that he had ordered a kitchen set that would arrive in the next day or two.

It suddenly dawned on Norman that the child didn’t have a name, at least one that they knew of. He began to speak softly as he looked at the girl in Joey’s arm “What’s her name?” Joey smiled as he looked down at his daughter “Clara Anne Drew.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I've had a lot of things happen lately and haven't had the time nor motivation to write! I'm working on keeping this going though so don't worry! 
> 
> Thanks for reading and being patient!   
> Hope you enjoyed  
> -Rose

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed!


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